Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Day 3
Clark Keeps CU Steeplechase Streak Alive With Win
May 16, 2015 | Track and Field
LOS ANGELES – Redshirt freshman Erin Clark kept the Buffaloes' conference 3,000-meter steeplechase streak alive, winning the University of Colorado's fourth straight Pac-12 steeplechase crown on Saturday afternoon.
Clark finished the race in 10 minutes, 2.16 seconds, a personal best, to defeat Oregon's Frida Berge by over seven seconds (10:09.94).
“Erin came in numerically as the favorite and we hoped she could defend that,” head coach Mark Wetmore said. “The Oregon woman pushed her pretty hard for two-thirds of the race. Erin ran her best time by seven or eight seconds to get the win and now it's off to regionals.”
With the victory, she joined former Buffs and Olympians Shalaya Kipp (2012, 14) and Emma Coburn (2013) as Pac-12 Champions. It is also the seventh straight conference win by a Buff dating back to the Big 12 Conference era. Jenny Simpson won the event in 2009 and Coburn was the winner in 2010 and '11.
“I actually don't really feel any added pressure from the legacy Colorado has,” Clark said after her race. “I get asked that a lot. For me, it's really just something to live up to, something to be excited about being a part of and just a bunch of extra help coaching.”
The men were also impressive in the steeplechase with junior Connor Winter and senior Blake Theroux finishing first and second, respectively. The win marks the second time in three seasons that a Buff has won the men's title; Aric Van Halen won in 2013.
The finish between Winter and Theroux couldn't have been any closer, but Winter had the edge at the finish, clocking in with a PR of 8:48.93. Theroux's time was 8:49.00.
“Connor, Blake and even Adam Peterman were all pretty high up the race the whole way,” Wetmore said. “It started out kind of slowly and conservatively, but the way the race wound up, it gain momentum conservatively and it ended up a real battle to the finish line between Connor and Blake.
“Blake came in with the fastest time and was the heavy favorite on paper, but he had a mishap about a week ago and lost four or five days of training and was actually on crutches a week ago. So he made a somewhat miraculous recovery and ran a great race today. He and Connor should be happy with those races – I certainly am.”
Winter was happy to carry on the CU steeplechase tradition. “It feels great,” he said. “It's really fun to carry on the tradition when you see the very best before you, so you just want to be able to continue that tradition and hold it and maybe set a higher standard than what they've done before.”
The Buffs picked up more points in the steeplechase with freshman Val Constien and redshirt freshman Adam Peterman placing in the top eight. Constien placed seventh in the women's race with a PR of 10:28.08, while Peterman was eighth in the men's race in 8:58.04.
The steeplechase wasn't the only place the Buffs came out on top. Junior Ammar Moussa won his first Pac-12 title in the 10,000-meter run, clocking in at 29:34.28. He's the first Buff since Joe Bosshard in 2011 to take home the conference 10k title. Teammate, junior Morgan Pearson, also did very well as he finished third (29:41.84).
“At this meet, no one wants to run any harder in the 10,000 than they have to, but it was a very strong field,” Wetmore said. “Everybody was being a little cagey. Often with a few laps to go, Morgan makes a big, bold move, which he did today and had a pretty good lead, but those of us who know Ammar and Erik Olson (Stanford), knew that the race wasn't entirely over. Ammar closed well. This is the town he grew up in, so he had fans and family here and it was a big victory for him. Morgan did a good job making the race happen and getting third for us. Those were some really nice points for us.”
“I asked my mom to come down because she hasn't been to an outdoor race in like three years,” Moussa said. “My parents are a calming effect on me. Seeing them before I started and knowing they're there to watch me makes it a little bit better. I'm just so happy right now.”
The women picked up a pair of points in their 10k with Abby Levene racing to a seventh place finish in 34:15.20. She held off UCLA's Bronte Golick (34:16.37) and California's Bethan Knight (34:17.95) who were right on her tail.
Last weekend, junior Abrianna Torres put four points on the board for the Buffs with a fifth place finish in the heptathlon. Today she came back and added another point with an eighth place performance in the long jump, leaping 19-4.25 on her fifth attempt of the day.
The Buffs also recorded points from senior Alex Kizirian in the hammer throw. The CU record holder earned a 200-5 mark on his third throw. He also came back to place 14th in the shot put (54-00.50).
Saturday was also the qualifying day for many events on the track, starting with the 1,500 preliminary round. The Buffs advanced all five entered runners, two women and three men, to the 1,500 finals. Senior Sara Sutherland was in the first heat and finished second (4:23.07) to automatically advance, while junior Maddie Alm also earned an automatic qualifying spot with a third place finish in the third heat, clocking in with a huge personal best of 4:18.62.
The men were led by sophomore Ben Saarel, who won the prelim round in 3:41.85. CU's other two qualifiers, who advanced on time, were also in that heat. Senior Jake Hurysz was sixth (3:42.74), while redshirt freshman Zach Perrin was eighth (3:43.00).
The qualifying kept coming for the Buffs. Sophomore Jaron Thomas was seventh overall, fourth in his heat, in the 110-meter hurdles, clocking in at 14.26. He was even more impressive in the 400-hurdles, winning his heat in 52.35. Sophomore Austin Mitsch tied for ninth in the 200 to advance to Sunday, finishing in 20.71.
Redshirt freshman Ana Holland also had a nice day, advancing to the finals in the 100. Holland clocked in eighth overall, finishing in 11.70. She just missing advancing in the 200, placing 10th in 23.89.
Senior Lindsy Mattson didn't advance to the finals in the 400, but she came in with a huge PR of 54.20 to become the second fastest CU performer. Prior to this meet, her personal best had been 54.36. Overall, she placed her 11th.
The championships conclude Sunday. Action starts at 9 a.m. (PT) with the women's hammer throw. The Buffs are currently third in the men's team race with 39 points, while the women are sixth (19 points).
“We are looking forward to tomorrow and some more team points and maybe a nice finish for the men's team,” Wetmore said. “We could end up in the top half, which would be good for us.”
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Drake Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Team Scores:
Men (after 8 events):
1. Oregon, 53; 2. UCLA, 50; 3. Colorado, 39; 4. Washington, 35; 5. Stanford, 32; 6. USC, 26; 7. Arizona, 23; 8. Arizona State, 22; 9. California, 18; 10. Washington State, 14.
Women (after 7 events):
1. Oregon, 78; 2. Stanford, 40; 3. UCLA, 39; 4. Washington State, 27; 5. USC, 22; 6. Colorado, 19; 7. Arizona, 15; 8. Arizona State, 12; 9. Utah, 8; 10. Washington, 6; 11. Oregon State, 5; 12. California, 2.
Track Events
Women's 1,500-meters (prelims): (1. Shelby Houlihan, ASU, 4:17.99) 3. Maddie Alm, 4:18.84; 9. Sara Sutherland, 4:23.07
Men's 1,500-meters (prelims): 1. Ben Saarel, 3:41.85; 6. Jake Hurysz, 3:42.74; 7. Zach Perrin, 3:43.00
Women's 100-meter hurdles (prelims): (1. Dior Hall, USC, 13.14) 15. Abrianna Torres, 14.47
Men's 110-meter hurdles (prelims): (1. DJ Morgan, USC, 13.96) 7. Jaron Thomas, 14.26
Women's 400-meters (prelims): (1. Vanessa Jones, USC, 51.92) 11. Lindsy Mattson, 54.20; 13. Eileen Gehring, 54.83
Men's 400-meters (prelims): (1. Pete Lauderdale, UA, 46.28) 10. Jaylyn Mars, 48.51; 11. Darrin Haynes, 48.80, 15. Erik Gaytan, 49.95
Women's 100-meters (prelims): (1. Jasmine Todd, UO, 11.12) 8. Ana Holland, 11.70
Men's 100-meters (prelims): (1. Andrew De Grasse, USC, 10.12) 14. Austin Mitsch, 10.71; 23. Jay Skrine, 10.92
Women's 3,000-meter steeplechase (finals): 1. Erin Clack, 10:02.16; 7. Val Constien, 10:28.08; 12. Eryn Blakely, 10:42.98
Men's 3,000-meter steeplechase (finals): 1. Connor Winter, 8:48.93; 2. Blake Theroux, 8:49.00; 8. Adam Peterman, 8:58.04
Men's 400-meter hurdles (prelims): (1. Jackson Shumway, SU, 52.13) 3. Jaron Thomas, 52.35
Women's 200-meters (prelims): (1. Jasmine Todd, UO, 22.89) 10. Ana Holland, 23.89; 17. Eileen Gehring, 24.38; 28. Tashay Brown, 24.92; 31. Mia Holland, 25.78
Men's 200-meters (prelims): (1. Andre De Grasse, USC, 20.03) 9. Austin Mitsch, 21.41; 18. Jay Skrine, 22.46
Women's 10,000-meter (finals): (1. Jessica Tonn, SU, 34:00.33; 7. Abby Levene, 34:15.20; 11. Annie Kelly, 34:23.60; 12. Mackenzie Caldwell, 34:39.01
Men's 10,000-meter (finals): 1. Ammar Moussa, 29:34.28; 3. Morgan Pearson, 29:41.84
Field Events
Men's hammer throw: (1. Conor McCullough, USC, 236-10) 5. Alex Kizirian, 200-5/61.09; 11. Brady Rutt, 180-7/55.04
Women's long jump: (1. Alexis Faulknor, USC, 21-00.75) 8. Abrianna Torres, 19-4.25/5.90
Women's shot put: (1. Brittany Mann, UO, 56-6.75) 10. Mariah Walker, 46-6.25/13.87
Women's high jump: (1. Zibby Boyer, UCLA, 5-11.50) 13. Rajon O'Quinn, 5-5.75/1.67
Men's long jump: (1. Adoree Jackson, USC, 25-3.50) 15. Michael Egotanda, 22-7.25/6.89
Men's shot put: (1. Nicholas Scarvelis, UCLA, 64-05.25) 14. Alex Kizirian, 54-00.50/16.47
Players Mentioned
